Come So Far, Got So Far to Go
by iluvmusso4ever11390
Summary: [SEQUEL TO SOS] A year after their kidnapping, Lilly and Oliver's relationship is going strong. However, a mysterious disappearence reunites them with two people they hoped NEVER to see again.
1. Birthday Surprises

**Hey all! Since my last story, "S.O.S." was such a huge hit, I decided to make my next story be a SEQUEL! I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the last story. Once again, it's named after a song, (from **_**Hairspray**_**, LOVE that movie!) but it is NOT a songfic. I may have a chapter set to a song like I did in the last story, but I'm not sure yet. Okay, here it goes. Hope you like.**

**Summary: A year after their kidnapping, Lilly and Oliver's relationship is still going strong. However, their good fortune can't last forever when a mysterious disappearance reunites them with two people they hoped NEVER to see again.**

**Disclaimer: If I must admit, I will. I d-d-don't own Hannah Montana. Grrr...in the words of Miley, "I HATE you for making me say that!"**

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Chapter One: Birthday Surprises

_Brriiinngg!_

Lilly Truscott reached up and knocked her alarm clock off of the nightstand, shutting it up for the time being before rolling over and trying to go back to sleep. She knew she had to get up, but that didn't make 8:30 seem any later. It was her summer, for crying out loud. Why shouldn't she be able to sleep in just because she had to work?

"Lilly! You better be getting up!" her mother called up the stairs.

Lilly moaned and threw the covers back over her head. Mondays were always the toughest. She hated the freedom of sleeping in on the weekends and then having to go back to the early routine on Monday. It always hit her the hardest. A loud knock sounded at her door, nearly causing her to fall out of her bed.

"Lillian Marie! I better see you out of this room and dressed for work in ten minutes or I will come in there and drag you out myself!"

Lilly sighed in an annoyed way and got out of bed. She knew her mom was serious when she used her middle name. Lilly stood up, ruffling her long, blond hair, grabbed her favorite robe, and headed towards the bathroom. After a quick shower, she changed into a white blouse and jeans. She pulled her hair back into a neat bun and put on a little bit of make-up.

She walked down the stairs to find her parents sitting at the table, her mother making breakfast and her father reading the paper. Her mother looked up as she entered.

"Good morning," she said sweetly, instantly dropping the anger she had just expressed mere minutes ago. "Would you like some bacon or scrambled eggs before you go?"

"No thanks," Lilly replied. "I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now." She grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter. "I'll just eat on the way. Bye."

She exited her house and walked the two blocks to the little diner that she worked at during the summer weeks. It didn't pay much, but it was good enough. She was saving up to buy a car by the time her sixteenth birthday rolled around.

_Birthday!_

Lilly just realized that today was her fifteenth birthday. How on earth could she have forgotten? Then again, her parents didn't seem too determined to mention it to her. Why hadn't they said anything to her? Normally her parents would surprise her by coming into her room and singing "Happy Birthday" to her before giving her a present. Then the family would go out to dinner that night at the restaurant of Lilly's choosing (which was usually Chinese).

But this morning, they had said nothing. Now Lilly suddenly felt hurt inside. How could her parents have forgotten one of the most important days of her life? They hadn't even acknowledged it. Why?

"You're late," her boss, Mark, said as she walked into the diner.

"I know. I'm sorry, Mark," Lilly said, grabbing her apron, pad, and pen. "I overslept."

"Just go over to Table 3 and take those men's orders," Mark replied. Lilly started towards the table. "Oh, Lilly." Lilly stopped and turned around. "Happy Birthday by the way."

Lilly suddenly felt like crying. Her boss who's only known her for two months wishes her a happy birthday but her own _parents_ couldn't? "Thanks," she said quietly before walking over to the table and taking the orders of the two men sitting there.

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Around 11:00 that morning, as Lilly was getting some orders ready, Mark came up to her.

"There's a kid at Table 4 who is _insisting_ that you serve him immediately," he said. "So, to avoid a riot, can you go over there, like, now?"

"Sure," Lilly replied. "Just let me take these orders to Table 1 and I'll be right over there." She was slightly confused; why would somebody be _insisting_ to see her? She gave the food to the people at Table 1 and walked over to Table 4.

"What can I get for you?" Lilly asked as she approached the young man and pulled out her pad and pen.

"I don't know. What would you recommend?" Lilly recognized the voice and instantly squealed with joy as the boy sitting in front of her.

"Oliver!" she said as he stood up to hug her. "What are you doing here? It's barely eleven!"

"What, I can't come in to wish my favorite girl a 'happy birthday'?" Oliver asked.

"At least you remember," Lilly said in a disappointed tone.

"Of course I remembered," Oliver replied. "Lils, I may only have been your boyfriend for a year now, but I've been your best friend since we were five. I never forget your birthday."

"Well, it's just..." Lilly trailed off. But then she took one look into Oliver's eyes and decided that he would be the best person to tell. "My parents didn't say anything about it this morning. They didn't sing to me or give me a present. They didn't even acknowledge it!"

"Well, I'm sure they didn't mean to," Oliver said. "Maybe they didn't want to make you late for work so they were going to wait until you got home."

"Yeah, maybe," Lilly replied. "Well, since it is my birthday, wanna go out tonight?"

"Oh, sorry, Lils," Oliver said. "I would really like to, but my mom got promoted again this morning and she wants to take the whole family out to dinner. I tried to get out of it, but she wants us all there."

"Oh, okay," Lilly said. "I understand."

"But, I can walk you home after work if you want," Oliver said. "What time do you get off?"

Lilly smiled. "3:30," she replied. "I'll be waiting." She leaned forward and started to kiss him.

"Truscott! I'm not paying you to socialize with the customers!" Mark shouted from the kitchen.

Lilly pulled away from Oliver quickly. "Sorry," Oliver said. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"It's okay," Lilly said. "Mark gets mad about _everything_. I mean, honestly, there's like five other people in here."

"Well, I will see you at 3:30 then," Oliver said, giving her a swift kiss.

"Don't be late," Lilly said as Oliver turned and left. She was amazed at the progress Oliver had made since their terrible kidnapping a year ago. She was now physically unscathed (mentally, she still needed some work), but Oliver had had a much farther way to go. His biggest concern had been his left leg, which had been shot during their first attempted escape. The doctors said that he was very lucky; if the bullet had been lodged just an inch higher, he may have lost permanent mobility of his leg. But he was fortunate and now walked with just a slight limp. It was barely noticeable to Lilly; Oliver just couldn't run as fast as he used to.

"Truscott!" Mark yelled again. "Let's go! You've got new customers at Table 4!"

Lilly jerked out of her daydream and saw that two men had come to sit at the table that Oliver had just vacated. She shook her head and walked over to them.

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_Finally_ 3:30 arrived. Lilly dropped off her last receipt, told Mark she was leaving, and exited the diner to find Oliver standing there holding flowers and a small white box. She giggled and blushed.

"Oh, Ollie, you didn't have to do that," she said, walking over to him and giving him a kiss.

"Yes, I did," Oliver replied, handing her the flowers and box. "Happy Birthday."

Lilly took the flowers and opened the box. She gasped as she saw the beautiful, golden locket sitting inside of it. It was shaped like a heart with a diamond letter _L_ on it.

"Oliver," she whispered in awe, still staring at the locket. "It's...it's..."

"You're welcome," Oliver said, kissing her cheek. He grabbed the locket and helped to clasp it around Lilly's neck.

"It's perfect," Lilly said.

"Just like you," Oliver replied, linking his fingers with hers. They walked down the street together, hand in hand, talking and laughing. When they finally reached Lilly's house, Oliver turned to her.

"You're sure you can't hang out tonight?" Lilly asked in one final desperate attempt.

"I wish I could," Oliver replied. "I tried asking my mom again, but...well...you know how she is."

"Ooh...did she use her man voice again?" Lilly asked, wincing.

"Yeah," Oliver replied. "Here, let me get the door for you," he added.

"Thanks," Lilly replied. Oliver reached over and opened the door. The lights were off, which was odd, Lilly thought, for the middle of the day. Suddenly, a switch flicked them all on and a bunch of people stood up and shouted "SURPRISE!"

"Oh my god!" Lilly exclaimed, nearly dropping her flowers as she saw her parents standing there with her relatives and all of her friends. Her best friend, Miley Stewart, walked forward and gave her a big hug.

"You didn't think we'd forget your birthday, did you, Lilly?" she asked.

"Well...I...I just..." Lilly couldn't even think of what to say. She was overwhelmed. How on earth could she have thought her parents would forget her birthday?

"Judging by your look of surprise, Oliver actually kept his mouth shut," Miley said, smiling at Oliver.

Lilly turned to him. "You knew?" she asked in disbelief. "You knew all along?"

"Of course," Oliver replied. "And I would appreciate if i someone /i wouldn't act all shocked everytime I keep a secret!" he shouted jokingly to Miley, who laughed.

"So, you were lying when you said that you couldn't hang out tonight?" Lilly asked. Oliver nodded. "Wow, guys. This is...this is...awesome. Thanks so much." She hugged both of her best friends.

"Well, enough hugging," Miley said. "Let's get this party started!"

Cheers were heard as someone fired up the stereo, blasting music throughout the house. Mr. and Mrs. Truscott brought out a large chocolate cake covered in fifteen candles. Lilly closed her eyes and merely wished that all of her birthdays would be as rememberable as this one.

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**So, you like? I know it's kinda slow-going, but I didn't want to launch into the plot right away. That'll probably happen towards the middle or end of the next chapter. But, I need those posts so I can know if I should write the next chapter. Let me know!**


	2. Nightmares

Chapter Two: Nightmares

_Pain shot up through Lilly's leg as it lay stretched out in front of her at a strange angle; she had broken it when she had jumped off the second floor loft in her desperate attempt to escape. But it didn't matter now. She was trapped in the corner of a closet, shivering uncontrollably with fright and cold. She knew, any second now, the door would be opened and her location would be discovered._

_Seconds later, the door did indeed open suddenly. Lilly squinted against the brightness, barely able to distinguish the two figures standing in front of her. Before their shadows blocked out all of the light from the hallway, Lilly was able to see Oliver lying on the ground behind them. His eyes were staring blankly at her and blood gushed from the bullet wounds in his chest. He was dead._

_"Say goodbye, Lilly," one of the men said in a gruff voice as he and his comrade both pointed their guns at Lilly. She closed her eyes and heard the gunshots echo throughout the building. _

Lilly's eyes snapped open immediately and she screamed. She sat up in her bed, breathing heavily as if she had just run a mile. Her whole body was drenched in cold sweat, making her shiver. She reached out blindly and finally located the switch to her bedside lamp, turning it on.

This was the eighth time in the past two weeks that she'd had a nightmare about the incident that she and Oliver went through last year. Each time, the nightmares would get steadily worse, causing her to wake up in the middle of the night, screaming. Each time, the images of the kidnappers got clearer and much more frightening.

As expected, she saw the hall light come on and heard the frantic scrambling of footsteps. A minute later, her bedroom door was flung open and her mother came running in, kneeling next to her bedside, looking highly concerned.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay," she said, pushing Lilly's wet, blond hair out of her face. "It was just a nightmare."

"There getting worse, mom," Lilly said, burying her face in her mom's shoulder and trying hard not to cry. "It was like I was there again. And Oliver was dead. He's always dead."

"It's okay," Mrs. Truscott said soothingly, hugging Lilly and rubbing her back to calm her. "It's all over. That whole terrible thing with those terrible men is over. They're locked up for good, and they can't hurt you or Oliver anymore. Okay?"

Lilly nodded and wiped her eyes. "Okay, mom. Thanks."

"Are you going to be okay, or would you like me to sit in here with you?" Mrs. Truscott asked.

"No, it's okay, mom," Lilly replied, drying off her sweaty face with her blanket. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"Okay," Mrs. Truscott said. "But if you need me, I'm just down the hall."

"Thanks, mom," Lilly said again. Mrs. Truscott kissed her forehead and exited the room. Lilly laid back down on her bed, but it took quite some time before she was able to go back to sleep again.

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"Lilly! _Lilly_ Wake up!"

Lilly jerked awake suddenly, rubbing her eyes wearily. "Sorry," she said, unable to suppress a huge yawn. "I must've dozed off."

"Are you okay, Lils?" Oliver asked. "You seem to have been falling asleep a lot lately."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lilly replied. "Perfectly f-f-fine," she said, yawning hugely again.

She was sitting at the pizza parlor Saturday afternoon with Miley and Oliver. This was one of their favorite places to go during the day to just hang out and eat some pizza. Lilly realized that she had nearly fallen asleep in her slice of pepperoni pizza again. She'd already done that twice this past week.

"Come on, Lilly. We're not stupid," Miley said, taking a small bite of her pizza. "We know something's up."

"It's nothing," Lilly said. "I just...haven't been sleeping really well lately."

Miley and Oliver both gave her the look that suggested that they didn't believe her. "Lilly..." Miley started.

"Okay, okay," Lilly finally admitted. "I've...I've been having a lot of...nightmares lately."

"Nightmares?" Oliver asked. "What kind of nightmares?"

"Nightmares about..." Lilly paused for a second and spoke the next word in a whisper. "_Them_."

"You mean...?" Miley started to question. Lilly nodded her head. "Oh no."

"How long has this been going on?" Oliver asked, taking her hand in a concerned way.

"A few weeks now," Lilly replied. "Look, guys, it's no big deal. Okay? They're just nightmares."

"Lilly, it's obvious they're freaking you out," Miley said.

"And they have a reason to," Oliver added. "What those guys did to us was horrible."

"I know," Lilly said. "And I know that they're just dreams. But each night, they get worse. I can almost see their sinister faces, staring at me right before they shoot me. And, Oliver, you're always..." She trailed off, unable to continue.

"It's okay, Lilly," Oliver said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," Lilly said. "I didn't want to make it such a big deal."

"But it is a big deal, Lilly," Miley said. "Remember what the doctor said? Going through a tragic experience like that is devastating. It can take some people a while to get over it."

"I know," Lilly said. "It's just...it seems like every time I close my eyes, I can see them standing in that darkened room, right before they're about to kill me."

"Nightmares aren't anything to be ashamed about, Lils," Oliver said. "It's perfectly normal."

"Are you having them?" Lilly asked.

"Well, I was before. But I haven't had them for almost two months now," Oliver replied.

"Then how can you tell me not to be ashamed?" Lilly shouted, standing up. "They didn't do half the stuff to me that they did to you! Why is it that I'm having these nightmares and you're not?"

Half the parlor went silent. It was at that moment that Lilly noticed how loud she had been, plus the fact that she was on her feet. Oliver stood up as well. He took her hand and she didn't even protest as he led her outside.

"Lilly, listen to me," Oliver said. But Lilly interrupted him.

"Look, Oliver, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to blow up at you like that. I'm just so _frustrated_ about this. I wish I could just forget about this whole stupid incident forever. But I don't think that's ever going to happen."

"It takes time to heal these things," Oliver said. "I'm still not fully over it. And besides, like Miley said, the psychiatrist told us that it takes some people years to recover from something like this. Nightmares are a normal side-effect of post traumatic shock."

"Yeah, you're right," Lilly said. "You know what the worst part of them is?" she asked.

"What?"

"In every single one, you're..." Lilly trailed off again, wondering if she could really say it aloud. "You're..." she started again. "Dead."

Oliver took her hand and looked deep into her eyes. "You don't need to worry about me," he said. "Nothing is going to happen to either of us. We're both going to be fine, and, before you know it, this whole thing will just be a distant memory."

Lilly smiled. "You're right," she said. "Sorry again for freaking out."

Oliver kissed her. "It's okay," he said. "Now let's go back in before we worry Miley to death."

Lilly giggled and the two of them walked back into the pizza parlor.

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**Once again, a little slow, I know. I'm sorry, but I promise something will happen in the next chapter. Well, obviously something will happen in the next chapter, but when I say that I mean something BIG will happen in the next chapter. So, just post those reviews and I'll get to writing it. Thanks!**


	3. Bad News

Chapter Three: Bad News

"Truscott! I'm not paying you to nap on the job! Get to work!"

Lilly jerked her head up from where it had been resting on the counter to see Mark staring at her with a very angry expression on his face.

"Sorry, Mark," Lilly said, rubbing her eyes. "It won't happen again."

"It better not," Mark shot back. "Take these orders to Table 2."

Lilly picked up the two plates and brought them over to the two gentlemen sitting at the table.

"There you go, sirs," she said, setting the dishes of food in front of them. "Would you like a complementary newspaper to start your morning?"

"No!" shouted one of the men angrily. Lilly stood back slightly, looking nervous.

"You'll have to excuse my friend, miss," the other man said. "He can get overly excited sometimes. No thank you."

"Okay," Lilly said, still a little jumpy from her scare. "No problem. Enjoy your food." She walked away from the table, growing steadily more uncomfortable at the fact that the first man was staring at her as she walked away. She went behind the counter and tapped Mark on the shoulder.

"Do you know who those two men are?" she asked, gesturing to the table.

"Not a clue," Mark said. "Why? They complaining about the service?"

"No," Lilly replied. "But when I asked them if they would like a newspaper, one man freaked out at me. And then he was staring at me somewhat _angrily_ as I walked away."

"Well, maybe you offended him somehow," Mark said. "I don't know. As long as he likes the food, I don't care." He turned away from Lilly and went back into the kitchen. Lilly glanced back over at the table, but the two men were eating and talking quietly to each other.

She sat behind the counter and rested her head in her hands, wanting more than anything to drift off to sleep. She'd been having countless restless nights recently, plagued by more and more frightening nightmares. Last night had been one of the worst; in that one, she had been forced to watch Oliver get shot right in front of her as opposed to just seeing him dead. And, once again, the faces of the Wilson brothers were getting so much clearer. It was almost as if every time Lilly closed her eyes, she could see them staring at her with those crazy, evil expressions.

"Excuse me, miss, can I get some ketchup over here?"

Lilly jerked her head up, realizing that she had fallen asleep again. She sat up and saw the man who had yelled at her about the paper gesturing to his table.

"Yeah, sure," Lilly said, grabbing a ketchup bottle from behind the counter. She walked over to the table and handed the bottle to the man. However, when he reached for the bottle, something happened.

His eyes looked straight into Lilly's.

As this happened, Lilly instantly recognized those eyes as the ones that haunted her dreams. Those were the eyes of Carl Wilson, the man who had been ordered to kill her. He was here. He was in the diner.

"Are you okay?" the man asked, and Lilly shook her head several times.

"Yeah," she said, though her voice sounded distant and far off. "I'm f—" But the rest of her sentence was lost as she collapsed to the ground.

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Lilly felt as though she was lost in a whirlwind. Faces and events were spiraling past her at breakneck speed. The Wilson brothers were laughing; Oliver was dead on the ground; Miley was crying over a body; and then a voice rang out:

"We're coming Lilly."

A gunshot sounded somewhere followed by a piercing scream.

"Lilly! Lilly!"

Lilly woke up again and instantly became aware of the fact that she was the one screaming. She also realized that she was lying on the ground and several people were around her. Mark was staring at her anxiously, the first time she had ever seen him express an emotion besides anger. Oliver was holding her hand and supporting her head. Several customers had gotten up and were looking at her with concern.

"Lilly, can you hear me?" Oliver asked, his face slowly coming into focus as Lilly blinked several times.

"Yeah," she said, trying to sit up with help from Oliver.

"What happened, Lilly?" Mark asked. "One minute you're fine, and the next, I just see you collapse."

"I don't know," Lilly said, standing up slowly, despite the fact that her legs were shaking horribly. She tried to look around the diner for signs of the two men at the table, but they weren't there. She started to walk forward, but felt dizzy and nearly collapsed again. Oliver caught her in time.

"Maybe you should go home," Mark said. "Get some rest."

"Okay," Lilly said. "That sounds like a good idea."

"I'll walk with you," Oliver said. "Come on." He put Lilly's arm around his shoulder and placed his arm around her waist, supporting her. Once they were outside, Lilly pulled him aside.

"I saw them, Oliver," she said. "The Wilsons."

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked.

"Just now!" Lilly said nervously. "They were in the diner, sitting at a table! One of them asked me for ketchup and as I handed it to him, he looked at me and I recognized him! It was Carl, the younger one who was supposed to kill me! That's why I passed out."

"Lilly, listen to me," Oliver said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "The Wilsons are in jail. Okay? They're under the highest security. There's no way you could've saw them. You must've been hallucinating or something."

"Trust me, Oliver," Lilly began. "You do not forget a face like that _ever_!"

Oliver tried again to tell her that it couldn't be Carl Wilson, but Lilly seemed adamant to not be dissuaded. She was convinced about what she saw and refused to let Oliver say otherwise. Oliver gave up trying and offered to walk her home, in order to keep her safe. This lightened Lilly's mood slightly and she walked home with him.

They were about halfway to Lilly's house when Miley suddenly came running up to them. She nearly collapsed onto Oliver as she came to a sudden halt, gasping for air, a newspaper clutched in her hand.

"Guys!" she gasped. "I just...heard the news!"

"What is it?" Oliver asked. Miley took a second to catch her breath.

"Didn't either of you read the morning paper?" she asked, waving the paper at them. Lilly and Oliver shook their heads. Miley's eyes grew wide. "Then, you might be in for a shock," she said.

"What do you mean?" Lilly asked. In response, Miley handed her the paper.

"I'm warning you though," Miley said.

Lilly warily opened the paper. It wasn't hard to miss what Miley was talking about; the headline took up about half of the front page. Her eyes instantly widened and she not only felt like she was going to pass out, but she also instantly felt nauseous. She dropped the paper and ran home as fast as she could, without a second glance back. The paper landed on the ground, and Oliver got the chance to see what freaked Lilly out so much as he read the headline:

**WILSON BROTHERS BREAKOUT**

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**There. Is that the suspense you want to read about? I hope so, because if you don't...well, then you're reading the wrong story. But, if you read my last story, you should be used to this kind of thing. So, anyway, post your thoughts and I will get to writing.**

**Love you all!!**


	4. Confronting Your Fears

Chapter Four: Confronting Your Fears

_Local police are still questioning how two highly-guarded prisoners were able to break out of jail. Jeremy, 28, and Carl, 25, Wilson, arrested for the kidnapping and attempted murder of Malibu teens Lilly Truscott and Oliver Oken last summer, were reported missing from their cells late last night. A lockdown was issued and police began searching immediately for the two men. Locals are encouraged to keep a look-out for these two dangerous men and are advised to call their police station if they hear any news._

Miley had read this article so many times, she could nearly quote it from memory. She couldn't stop thinking about it the entire way to Lilly's house the next day. After Lilly had run off upon seeing the article, Miley had tried calling her, but she refused to pick up her phone. Miley couldn't blame her; it was obvious that she was freaked out at the news of hearing that her kidnappers had broken out of jail.

As she reached Lilly's house, she rang the doorbell and waited patiently. Finally, Mrs. Truscott opened the door, looking rather exhausted.

"Hello, Miley," she said wearily.

"Hey, Mrs. Truscott," Miley said. "How's Lilly doing?"

"Not well," Mrs. Truscott replied, shaking her head. "Oliver showed up about an hour ago and spent the first forty-five minutes banging on Lilly's bedroom door, trying to convince her to open it. I haven't been able to get her to come out since she came home last night."

"Well, maybe Oliver and I can talk to her," Miley said, stepping into the house. "Are they both up there?"

"Yes, I believe so," Mrs. Truscott said. "Perhaps if Oliver's up there, you'll have more luck getting into her room."

Miley thanked Mrs. Truscott and walked up the stairs and down the hallway. She knocked on Lilly's door.

"Lilly, it's Miley. Open up."

There was a scrambling from behind and, seconds later, the door opened and Oliver was standing there.

"Hey, Miley," he said, moving aside so she could come in.

"Who's there?" came Lilly's voice from underneath the covers on her bed. "Shut the door, Oliver!"

"It's just Miley," Oliver replied, shutting the door as Miley stepped into the room. "It took me forever to convince her that it was me standing outside her door," he told Miley. "I've been trying to talk some sense into her, but she won't listen."

Miley walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it. "Lilly," she said to the lump under the comforter. "Will you come out from under there? No one's going to hurt you. I promise."

"You don't know that," Lilly said in a choked voice that sounded as though she had been crying. "That's what I said last time, and I was WRONG!"

"Lilly, no one is in the room except you, me, and Miley," Oliver said. "Do you honestly think that your mom is going to let someone she doesn't know up to your room?"

"You never know!" Lilly shrieked, pulling the covers tighter over her head. "They could manipulate their way into the house like they did last time!"

"Lilly, you're being ridiculous," Miley said. "Every police officer in the state is looking for them."

"And besides," Oliver added, "the police are keeping the two of us under close watch. They're not going to let the Wilsons near us again."

"Lilly, can you please come out from under there?" Miley asked. "Nobody is going to hurt you."

Lilly didn't say anything for a long time. Then, gradually, she pulled the covers off of her head and sat up slowly. She pushed a strand of long blond hair behind her ear. For a minute, no one said anything. Then, Lilly suddenly burst into tears. Oliver sat down on her bed next to her and let her cry on his shoulder.

"I'm...sorry," she choked out, her voice muffled against Oliver's shirt. "I didn't mean to fall apart like this."

"Lilly, no one blames you for being upset," Miley said, laying a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder. "If it were me, I would be freaked out too if I learned that my kidnappers broke out of jail."

"But, Lilly, you have to think logically here," Oliver said, stroking Lilly's long, blond hair out of her tear-stained face. "The police are going to be sure that these creeps don't come near us or our families at all."

Lilly sniffed. Miley grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and handed it to her. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. "You're right, guys," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I guess I'm just being...paranoid."

"Now you understand the feeling," Oliver said, smiling and kissing her on the top of her head.

"But, I know I saw him in the diner," Lilly said. "Carl Wilson, I mean. It had to be him! That would explain why he freaked out when I offered him a paper! He thought I would recognize him from his picture! Well, I didn't need a picture to recognize him. I'll never forget those faces. I see them whenever Iclose my eyes."

"I don't think it was him," Oliver said. "Because I walked in right as you passed out and he was the first one who ran to your side."

"But that could've just been because he didn't want to be suspicious," Lilly replied. "What if it was him, Oliver?"

"Well, think about it, Lilly," Miley said. "The Wilsons _just_ broke out of jail last night. What are the odds that they would have been able to evade recapture, find disguises, and just _happen_ to come across the diner that you _happen_ to be working at. It seems close to impossible."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Lilly said. "I'm sorry, guys," she apologized again. "I guess I just had a panic attack or something. But, you're right. I overreacted, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Lilly," Miley said, giving her a hug.

"We forgive you, Lils," Oliver said, giving her a swift kiss on the lips. "Now, let's go downstairs. I'm starving."

Lilly laughed. "It's amazing how simple the male mind is," Miley said, rolling her eyes as Oliver opened the door and bounded down the stairs. She and Lilly followed. They were surprised, however, to see Mrs. Truscott standing at the door, conversing with a policeman.

"Mom, what's going on?" Lilly asked.

"Oh, Lilly, this is Officer Parker," Mrs. Truscott said.

"Hello, Officer," Lilly said, feeling a little nervous.

"Hello, Lilly," Officer Parker said. "I'm just talking to your mother about the security measures we are going to proceed to use in light of the Wilson brothers escape. I want you to know that we are going to do everything to be sure that nothing happens to you or your family."

Lilly's nerves instantly relaxed. Officer Parker's voice was so reassuring that it instantly calmed her.

"We'll be having a squad car outside your house 24/7 until the Wilsons are captured again," Officer Parker continued. "If you suspect anything, we'll be sitting right outside. You let us know."

"Thank you," Lilly replied. "What about Oliver?" she asked, pointing to him.

"Well, with his mom now on active duty, I think the Wilsons should be more afraid of her than she should be of them," Officer Parker said with a chuckle. "Right, Oliver?"

"Oh yeah," Oliver said. "When she found out that they took us right under her nose, she swore to show them _no_ mercy!"

"All right," Officer Parker said. "Well, I'll be right outside," he added, pointing to the police car parked across the street. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"We will," Mrs. Truscott said. "Thank you." Officer Parker nodded and exited the house. Mrs. Truscott closed the door, and as she did, Lilly could almost feel her fear leaving the house as well.

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**Okay, cheesy ending, I know. Next chapter, I PROMISE, will have some suspense in it. It's getting to the part where the main plot is coming in. I'm thinking that this story is going to be longer than SOS, but I don't know right now. Anyway, continue to post your reviews. Thanks, guys!**


	5. Missing

Chapter Five: Missing

_Lilly walked down the dark, damp hallway. She didn't know where she was, nor how she got there; all of her attention was focused on the immobile figure at the end of the hall. She was unsure why, but it intrigued her. Was it a body? Was it a person? An animal? A pile of clothes, even? Was it alive or dead? She had called out to it, but the figure hadn't moved, which led her to think that it was either dead or an inanimate object._

_As she got closer to the figure, she suddenly became aware of the fact that the air around her was getting steadily colder; her breath rose in front of her face in small clouds. She was finally next to the figure. From this angle, she could see that it was a person, but they were facedown so Lilly couldn't determine their identity._

_She reached out, her hand trembling slightly, and turned the person over. As she did, a light suddenly shone on the figure's face. Lilly gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth as she stared into the blank, brown eyes of Miley Stewart. She was dead._

_Lilly started to back up slowly, feeling tears in her eyes that froze halfway down her cheeks in the cold air. This couldn't be. First Oliver and now Miley! She was just about to turn and run when she heard a voice._

_"She's next, Lilly."_

_Lilly turned and saw both of them standing there, smiling wickedly. They were wearing orange jumpsuits and broken handcuffs dangled from their wrists. Lilly backed away from them, but tripped over Miley's body and fell to the ground. She saw a pistol pointed straight at her heart and closed her eyes as the shot was fired._

Lilly opened her eyes and sat up quickly, breathing heavily. She had managed to prevent herself from screaming and alerting her parents. But, nevertheless, she was still extremely scared. She turned on the lamp on her nightstand, wiped the cold sweat from her face, and tried to calm her breathing. That had been, by far, one of the worst nightmares she'd had. It was the first one to feature Miley dead instead of Oliver. She looked so real, Lilly could almost feel the touch of her skin as she turned her over.

She leaned over and cautiously pulled back her bedroom curtains. The police car was still sitting across the street; this sight alone calmed her nerves significantly. She stood up, exited the room, and walked down the hall into the bathroom.

She splashed some cold water on her face and went downstairs into the living room. She turned on the television and flipped through the channels. However, after passing three different news channels broadcasting the story of the Wilsons' escape, she turned the television off and fell into a very restless sleep.

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A shrill ringing filled Lilly's ears. It took her a moment to realize that it was the phone. It took her another moment to realize that no one else was home, which meant that she would have to get it. Standing up and rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone?

"Hello?" she croaked out, trying to rid her throat of the morning grogginess.

"Lilly? It's Mr. Stewart."

"Oh, hello, Mr. Stewart," Lilly replied.

"Yeah, sorry to be calling so early," Mr. Stewart said, and Lilly thought she detected a trace of fear in his voice. "But I was just wondering, is Miley at your house?"

Lilly nearly dropped the phone in shock. "No, why?" she asked fearfully.

"Well, she wasn't in her room this morning, and I can't find her anywhere throughout the house," Mr. Stewart replied. "Come to think of it, I don't remember hearing her come home last night. I didn't know if maybe she slept over at your house last night and didn't tell me."

No. This had to be a coincidence, didn't it? Lilly thought to herself. This didn't have anything to do with her nightmare. "No," she replied to Mr. Stewart, fighting to keep her shaky voice steady. "She didn't sleep over last night."

"You're sure?" Mr. Stewart asked. "Okay. I'll call the Okens. Maybe she went over there."

"Yeah," Lilly replied, her hand shaking so much that it was hard to keep the phone steady. "Yeah, I bet she's there."

"Okay. Thanks, Lilly," Mr. Stewart said.

"No-no problem," Lilly stammered. She hung up the phone and, not even hesitating, began to dial the number for Oliver's cell phone.

"Come on, Oliver. Pick up," she said as the phone rang and rang on the other end. Finally, it was picked up.

"Hello?" came Oliver's sleepy voice on the other end.

"Oliver? It's Lilly."

"Hey, Lils. What's up? Is something wrong?"

"Well, I don't know yet," Lilly replied. "Has Mr. Stewart called your house?"

"No, why?" Oliver asked.

"Well, this is going to sound a bit strange," Lilly began. "But I had another nightmare last night, except this time Miley was the one who was dead and not you. It seemed so realistic that it freaked me out. And then this morning, Mr. Stewart called my house and asked if Miley was here. He said that he can't find her anywhere!"

"What?" Oliver asked, confused. "Oh, hold on." Lilly heard him pull the phone away from his mouth. "What?" he shouted, apparently talking to someone in his house. "No, she's not here! Okay!"

"Oliver," Lilly began, her voice shaking. "What was that about?"

"It was my mom," Oliver said, and Lilly could sense some fear in his voice as well. "She said that Mr. Stewart was on the phone. He was asking if Miley was here."

Lilly felt as though her throat was closing up. She swallowed with difficulty and tried again to talk. "Oliver, what's happening?" she asked, feeling tears threaten to spill from her eyes. "Where's Miley?"

"I don't know," Oliver said. "I'm coming over, Lilly. Don't go anywhere! I'll be there in five minutes!"

"Okay," Lilly said, hanging up and dropping the phone on the couch. She proceeded to curl up into a ball, drawing her knees up to her chest, and waited for Oliver to arrive.

Following the longest five minutes of her life, the doorbell _finally_ rang, and Lilly bolted out of her seat and rushed to open it. She nearly collapsed with relief into Oliver's arms as she opened the door and saw him standing there.

"Oh, Oliver," she said, hugging him tightly. "Where is she? What's going on?"

"I don't know," Oliver said, stepping into the house and leading her over to the couch. "I'm sure everything's fine. She...probably just stepped out to do something and forgot to tell her dad. Maybe Jake's back in town."

"Oliver, this can't be just a coincidence," Lilly said fearfully, hugging him tighter. "That was the most realistic nightmare I've had in a long time. It just...it _can't_ be a coincidence. I mean, I dream that Miley's dead, and then all of a sudden no one can find her."

"Look, Lilly, I'll just give her a call and get this all straightened out," Oliver said, picking up his cell phone.

However, before he got the chance to dial Miley's cell number, Lilly's phone rang from where she had dropped it on the couch. She picked it up and read the caller ID: Miley.

Relief instantly spread through Lilly as she answered the phone. "Hey, Miley," she said. "You'll never believe the morning I—" But she stopped abruptly as a voice sounded on the other end of the phone, a voice that didn't sound like Miley at all.

"Miley's not here, Lilly," the voice said. "Well, technically she is. But she can't talk right now. And soon, she's not going to be able to talk at all."

"Who is this?" Lilly asked, her fear returning full throttle.

"You mean you don't recognize me?" the voice said. "That's odd, considering you were able to recognize my brother at the diner the other day."

Lilly froze in horror. Oliver was looking at her in confusion, obviously wanting to know what was going on. Lilly felt tears brewing in her eyes as the voice continued to speak.

"You and your boyfriend may be too heavily guarded," it said. "But your little friend wasn't. And now we have her. And, you know what, Lilly? We're gonna kill her like we should've killed you and your boyfriend."

An evil laugh filled her ears followed by a dial tone as Jeremy Wilson hung up the phone. Lilly sat, unable to take the phone off of her ear. She appeared to have gone into shock. This couldn't be happening. There was _no way_ that this was happening.

"Lilly? Lils? _Lilly!_"

Lilly shook her head and looked to see Oliver shaking her shoulders, trying to snap her out of her shock.

His eyes were wide and fearful. "Who was that, Lilly?" he asked. "What's going on?" In response, Lilly burst into tears and buried her face into Oliver's shirt. "She's gone, Oliver," she sobbed as Oliver put his arms around her. "They took her. They took Miley, Oliver."

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Is that the suspense you were looking for? It's getting a little dark and I think that this one's going to be darker than the first one, especially since Lilly's still psychologically scarred from the experience. I hope you continue to read and post your thoughts because I need them in order to continue! Let me know your comments, people! I look forward to hearing from you!


	6. A Massive Decision

Chapter Six: A Massive Decision

"Lilly? _Lilly!_ Come on, Lils! Say something!"

Oliver had been trying to get Lilly to talk for almost fifteen minutes now. She appeared to have gone into shock, having dropped her cell phone on the couch the moment her phone call ended. All he had gotten out of her was "They took Miley." But she wouldn't tell him anything else.

He didn't need her to tell him who _they_ were, because he knew exactly who would be sick and twisted enough in the mind to do something like that. He couldn't believe that these assholes would be trying to get to him and Lilly by kidnapping their best friend. Why hadn't they seen this as a possibility?

"Lilly!" he shouted again, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Come on! Say something!"

Lilly blinked and focused her attention on him, her eyes staring blankly as though she couldn't really see him. "They took her, Oliver," she said, her voice nearly void of expression.

"Did they say anything else?" Oliver asked, glad that she had finally said something. "Lilly, you need to talk to me. What did they say?"

"They said that they took her to get to us," Lilly replied. "They said that they're going to...to..." Lilly stopped, apparently unable to continue.

"What?" Oliver asked. Lilly shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "Lilly," Oliver said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "What did they say?"

"They're going to kill her!" Lilly shouted before collapsing onto his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Oliver put his arms around her, almost as if in a trance. Now he was not only shocked, but he was also pissed off. This was going _too_ far. It was bad enough that they nearly killed himself and Lilly, but kidnapping and threatening to kill Miley when she did _nothing_?

"That's it!" Oliver shouted when he finally got his voice back. Lilly lifted her head up to look at him, her eyes red and her face tear-stained.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm not going to take this, Lilly!" Oliver said, standing up suddenly. "They've gone too far! Miley didn't do anything! She's going to suffer for something that we did! And I'm not about to just sit around and do nothing about it!"

"What are you talking about?" Lilly asked, also standing up. "Oliver, what are you thinking?"

"I'm going after them!" Oliver said. "I'm going there and I'm getting Miley back!"

"What!?" Lilly shouted. "Oliver, you can't!"

"And why not?" Oliver replied, his tone on the edge of anger.

"Because…" Lilly began, apparently searching for a reason. "It's dangerous! Don't you remember what happened the last time we went looking for them? Do you remember that you almost _died_ several times, Oliver?"

"Of course I remember," Oliver replied. "You don't forget something like that very easily, Lilly. But, I don't understand what that has to do with the fact that they've got Miley now!"

"They're luring us in, Oliver!" Lilly shouted, trying to calm her angered boyfriend down. "I can't sit by and watch them hurt you again. I just can't!"

"So, you're telling me that you think we should just _leave_ her?" Oliver said, his voice beginning to scare Lilly with it's intensity.

"No," Lilly said. "But, we should tell the police or something! We can't just go off there on our own! That's exactly what they want us to do! Then they'll capture and kill all three of us!"

"Well, then what do you propose we do, Lilly?" Oliver asked. "Tell the police? Is that it? If they know that we got the law involved, they'll kill Miley without any hesitation! They're doing this because they want us and no one else!"

"But...but..." Lilly stammered, confusing Oliver.

"Lilly, don't you want to go save your best friend?" Oliver asked.

"I do," Lilly said. "Of course I do! But, Oliver, I...I...can't."

"You can't?" Oliver asked. "You _can't_? Lilly, do you hear yourself?"

"Oliver, _please_ don't take it that way," Lilly pleaded. "Don't make it sound like I don't want to go, because I do!"

"Then what's the problem?" Oliver shouted, trying to keep his temper under control.

"I...I'm...I'm afraid, Oliver!" Lilly shouted back, tears brimming in her eyes again. "You don't understand! You haven't been having these nightmares recently! You don't have to worry about closing your eyes every night and having to watch your friends die or hear that maniacal laughter or see those sinister faces. I hoped to NEVER see them again! And right now, I'm torn between having to face my fears and abandoning my best friend! I...I don't know what to do, Oliver!"

She was sobbing now, burying her face in her hands. Oliver relaxed his temper and walked over. He put his arms around her, stroking her hair until her sobbing subsided slightly.

"Hey, it's okay," he said soothingly in her ear. "I'm really sorry, Lilly. I didn't mean to lose my temper like that. I guess I didn't realize how badly these nightmares were affecting you."

He put his hands on her shoulders and lifted her chin up. "It's going to be all right. You know what we can do? I can talk to my mom about what happened. She'll be able to help us without the Wilsons knowing. Okay?"

Lilly didn't respond immediately, but she had a stern look of concentration on her face. Finally, she looked up at him and gave a small smile. "Okay," she replied. "We can do that."

"That's my Lilly," Oliver said, smiling and kissing her cheek. "We'll get through this. I promise."

"I know," Lilly replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "Now, what are we standing around for? We have to go do something!"

"You're right," Oliver said. "Okay. I'll call my mom and have her meet us here as soon as possible."

"All right," Lilly replied, trying her best to look determined. Oliver took her hand.

"Let's bring her home, Lils."

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**Okay, sorry about the delay, but I had a MAJOR case of writer's block. Plus school was getting in the way (as usual). But now it's FINALLY done and I will be sure to get started on Chapter Seven as soon as possible. While I'm doing that, I need all of you to post those reviews for me. So, if you do your job, I'll do mine.**


	7. Inside the Kidnappers' Lair

Chapter Seven: Inside the Kidnappers' Lair

Oliver and Lilly sat in the back of the police car driven by Oliver's mom. Behind them were five other cars, following them through the streets of Malibu. However, no lights or sirens had been turned on for any of them; this was all part of the plan to ensure that the Wilsons didn't know that they were approaching for it could endanger Miley's life.

Lilly began to tremble noticeably. Oliver reached over and grabbed her hand. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered to her. She nodded, but continued to tremble as she thought about what they were about to do.

After a few minutes, Mrs. Oken stopped the car. She turned the engine off and turned to the two of them.

"You know I still don't approve of this, Oliver," she said sternly.

"I know, Mom," Oliver replied. "But if we want to get all three of us out of here alive, we have to do it like this."

Mrs. Oken reached back and put her hand on Oliver's cheek. "You really are your mother's son," she said. "Please promise me you'll be careful. You too, Lilly."

"I promise, Mom," Oliver said.

"Me too," Lilly whispered, trying her best to sound brave.

"And remember, we'll be right out here, ready to come in if anything happens," Mrs. Oken added.

"I know, Mom," Oliver said, squeezing her hand. "We're all gonna get out of this alive. I promise."

Mrs. Oken nodded. "All right," she said. "Go then."

Oliver nodded and climbed out of the police car. They had parked back about a block in order to avoid detection, but both Lilly and Oliver could clearly see the old abandoned warehouse that they had been briefly held prisoner in last summer. The sight of it brought chills down Lilly's spine. But then she thought of Miley and it gave her the strength to carry on.

They neared the house, careful to stay hidden in the long grass that surrounded the area. They both walked quickly, but not too quickly as to rustle the grass. They were almost to the house (Lilly now trembling almost uncontrollably) when the back door suddenly opened.

Lilly inhaled sharply, but, thinking fast, Oliver clapped his hand over her mouth before she could scream. They both stood completely still as they saw Carl walk out carrying a large garbage bag. His dark hair was shorter than it had been. He also looked thinner and paler than before; clearly prison hadn't agreed with him. He threw the garbage bag into a bin in the back of the warehouse, took one final look around, and went back into the house.

At least now they knew that the Wilsons were here, Lilly thought to herself. Once the door closed, Oliver took his hand off of her mouth and turned to face her.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

Lilly swallowed with difficulty against the lump in her throat and nodded. "Yeah," she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Remember, my mom is standing just a hundred feet away with a dozen armed officers," Oliver reminded her. "They're not going to let anything happen to us."

"I know," Lilly squeaked, trying to stop her trembling. Oliver reached out and hugged her.

"We're gonna be out of here with Miley as soon as we can," he said, stroking her hair. "And then we'll be sure that none of us _ever_ have to see these men again. I promise."

Lilly nodded and they released each other. Oliver took her hand and together they walked up to the house. Once they were near, Oliver reached out, grabbed the handle of the back door Carl had come out of, and slowly opened it. Lilly, who was expecting it to squeak and make a lot of noise, was shocked when it opened quietly. She was even more shocked to find no one waiting for them. Apparently, the Wilsons were in another area of the house. But, that was fine with her. The sooner they find Miley and get out of here the better.

Both of them crept along the edge of the wall, trying to stay hidden in the shadows as much as possible. The lighting hadn't gotten any better than the last time they were here; on the plus side, this meant that they were harder to see, but on the negative side, this also meant that they couldn't see anyone else who may be lurking at the end of the hallway. Every swish of the wind sounded like a person moving, every creak sounded like a footstep behind them.

They rounded a corner and saw a hallway of doors. Oliver leaned in and whispered, "Let's check these rooms for Miley. I'll check the ones on the left, and you check the ones on the right."

Lilly nodded. "Okay," she said. "Here," she added, handing him a bobby pin from her hair. "In case they're locked."

Oliver took it and the two of them started opening doors as quietly as possible. Lilly found most of the doors to be unlocked, but all were empty.

"Find her?" Oliver asked as he closed the last door.

"No," Lilly replied. "I'll check this last one." She turned the doorknob and found it to be locked.

_This is it!_ she thought to herself as she took out her bobby pin and started to pick the lock. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was surprised Oliver couldn't hear it. Who knew what condition Miley was going to be in when they opened the door? What if she was...Lilly couldn't think of the possibility. She heard the lock click. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pushed the door open. "Miley?" she said quietly. "Miley, are you in—?"

_CRASH!_

Suddenly, several objects from the top shelf of the closet came tumbling down on Lilly's head making a lot of noise. Footsteps were instantly heard rushing through the warehouse, signaling that the Wilson brothers were on their way.

"RUN, LILLY!" Oliver shouted, racing through the hallways, Lilly hot on his heels. He didn't know where he was going or, more importantly, where the Wilsons were coming from. He was turning corners without a second thought, feeling blindly through the darkness. Shouts could be heard echoing somewhere throughout the area.

"WE'RE GONNA GET YOU, YOU GODDAMN KIDS!"

Oliver continued running, finally seeing an open door in front of him. He raced inside of it and shut the door behind him, sinking to the floor, breathing heavily. He heard the footsteps run past the door and then fade away. He counted to ten in his head before he was able to stand up and open the door. He peeked out and saw nothing.

"Whew," he breathed, wiping his sweaty brow. "That was close. Are you okay, Lilly?"

But he heard no response. Confused, Oliver turned around and looked around the small room, but Lilly wasn't there. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember her coming in the room after him. "Lilly?" he said, looking around again. "Lilly? Are you in here?"

Still no answer. He peeked out the room again. "Lilly?" he said in as loud of a voice he dared using. "Lilly?" But she didn't answer, causing Oliver to face the horrible truth. He was stranded in the middle of his former kidnappers' hide-out. And now both Miley _and_ Lilly were missing.

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**Is this the suspense you were looking for? I hope so because this is the suspense I use in my stories. Okay, people, I've done my job and now it's time for you to do yours. Post those reviews! I can't promise when the next chapter will be up because I'm starting play rehearsals this week and, on top of my homework, I'm not going to have much time to write. But, if you're patient and you bear with me (and post LOTS of reviews), I'll get it up as soon as I can. Thanks!**


	8. Lost and Found

Chapter Eight: Lost and Found

Oliver cursed over and over again in his head. How could he have been so i stupid /i ? Why didn't he grab onto Lilly before he started running like a madman through the house? Now, in addition to finding Miley, he also had to locate Lilly. Was it possible that she had run outside where his mom and the officers were waiting?

He opened the door again and peeked out. The hallway was deserted and so, taking a chance, he stepped out and started down the hall. He moved as quickly as he dared, fearing that any wrong movement could lead the Wilsons straight back to him.

"Lilly?" he said in a loud whisper. "Lilly? Can you hear me?"

A muffled thump sounded from behind him. Oliver froze, his heart feeling like it was going to pound out of his chest. He slowly turned his head as he heard the thump a second time. It sounded as though it was coming from a closed door further down the hall.

Against his better judgment, Oliver began to walk down the hall as he heard the thump a third time, but it sounded weaker this time. He reached the door and turned the handle, but it was locked. At that moment, he realized that he had dropped the bobby pin Lilly gave him when he was running. He quickly scanned the hallway until he located a sharp piece of metal laying on the ground. He picked it up and began to pick the lock.

After about a minute, the lock clicked, but Oliver paused before opening the door. Either this was something falling off a shelf, or it was one of the Wilson brothers luring him into a trap. Although, it could be possible that it was Lilly locked in a closet. He exhaled sharply, turned the handle, and opened the door. He was not expecting the sight he saw when he opened the door.

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Lilly could still feel her heart pounding wildly, even several minutes after the footsteps of the Wilsons had died away. She was sure that they had seen her duck inside the closet, or at least heard her close the door. But apparently they hadn't because she heard no footsteps approaching her door.

Once she finally got her heart rate to slow down, she stood up and turned the handle. But the door appeared to be locked. She tapped on the door several times, but quickly stopped, fearing that it could attract the wrong attention.

It was at that moment that she realized Oliver wasn't with her. She distinctly remembered hearing him tell her to run after she dropped all of that stuff, but after that, she lost sight of him pretty quickly. She had proceeded to duck into the nearest closet, hoping he had done the same thing.

Still no noise had sounded outside, and Lilly decided that she might as well go look for Oliver in addition to finding Miley. She hoped wherever Oliver was, he wasn't hurt. Hopefully he had come closer to knowing Miley's location. But she also hoped that he hadn't figured out where Miley was because the Wilsons had captured him and brought him there as well.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the bobby pin out of her hair and started to pick the lock.

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Oliver stood in shock for a moment. Sitting on the floor of the closet, her wrists and ankles bound with duct tape, was Miley. She stared at him as the door opened, her eyes widening at the sight of Oliver over the strip of tape that covered her mouth.

"Miley!" Oliver said, snapping himself out of his shock and kneeling down next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling the tape off of her mouth as gently as he could.

Tears were streaming down Miley's face, which was covered in dirt and bloody scratches. She seemed too scared and relieved to say anything. Oliver took the sharp piece of metal and slowly but surely cut Miley's bonds. Once her hands were free, she threw her arms around his neck, sobbing on his shoulder.

"It's okay," Oliver whispered in her ear, hugging her back and stroking her hair. "It's over. You're safe now."

"Oh, Oliver," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I was so scared."

"I know," Oliver replied. "But we found you and we're going to get out of here." He eyed the scratches that covered her face and arms. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Miley sniffed and shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She looked behind him and added, "Where's Lilly?"

"I don't know," Oliver replied. "We had a run-in with the Wilsons and got separated when we ran. I'll get you out of here and come get Lilly."

"No," Miley replied. "We're not leaving Lilly alone in here. I'm not leaving until we found her."

"Miley, it's too dangerous in here," Oliver replied. "Look, my mom's outside with a dozen officers. She'll be able to keep you safe and--"

"Oliver, that's not the point," Miley said, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "You and Lilly risked your lives to save me. I'm not leaving until we have Lilly with us."

Oliver smiled at the courage Miley was showing. It must've been hard being held captive in a closet for who knew how long and being able to forget about it in order to save her best friend. He nodded.

"Okay. But stay close to me. I don't want to lose you too."

Miley gripped his arm for support, and the two of them stepped out into the hallway. They hadn't gone two steps when they heard it.

"You're not going anywhere."

Both Oliver and Miley spun around. Standing there with a gun in his hand and a pleased smile on his face was Jeremy Wilson.

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_This entire place is a maze!_ Lilly said to herself, turning yet another corner. It had taken her about five minutes to unlock the door, and now she had spent another ten minutes trying desperately to find either Miley or Oliver. But she had seen neither of them nor, thankfully, either of the Wilsons either.

As she walked the halls, horrible images from her nightmares flashed across her mind. It was odd how she had hoped to never have to see this place again, and now she found herself running through it in a frantic search for her friends. The place seemed bigger than the last time she was here, it seemed. Surely she should've seen i someone /i by now, preferably Miley or Oliver.

Suddenly, a voice rang out somewhere in the distance. "You're not going anywhere" it said.

_Jeremy!_ Lilly thought to herself. She quickly raced down the hallway and saw, at the end, Oliver standing with Miley. And in front of them, his back turned to her, was Jeremy Wilson, pointing his gun at both of them. Oliver was standing slightly in front of Miley, as though to shield her from Jeremy.

That's when Lilly realized it. Her nightmare was about to come true, right in front of her eyes. It all made sense now: seeing Oliver dead, Miley crying over the body, the feelings of helplessness. There was a reason for this. There had to be! There had to be a reason why she was still having these nightmares and Oliver had stopped.

And she was about to make that reason clear.

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**Okay, okay. I know it's been awhile since I last wrote and I am SOOOO very sorry. Hopefully though, with no homework this weekend, I'll be able to write some more. So, please, please, PLEASE post those reviews and I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thank you all SOOOO much. **


	9. Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

Chapter Nine: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

Oliver had positioned himself in front of Miley. Jeremy had the gun pointed right at the two of them. He was smiling that maniacal smile that always sent chills up Oliver's spine.

"Congratulations, Oken," he said. "You found her. And now, you're gonna lose both her and your girlfriend."

"You'll have to kill me first," Oliver said through gritted teeth.

"No, Oliver!" Miley shouted from behind him. But Oliver leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"You need to get out of here. Find Lilly and get out of here!"

"Not without you," Miley whispered back. "I'm going to let you kill yourself to save us!"

"Look, if I don't sacrifice myself, none of us are gonna get out of here!" Oliver hissed.

"If you two are done telling secrets," Jeremy snarled. "Say good-bye, Oken."

And he pulled the trigger.

Oliver closed his eyes as he heard the gun fire, waiting for the bullet to impale his body and kill him. But, it never came. He heard Miley scream behind him. Could you feel it when you got shot? Or did it just kill you instantly and you felt nothing? Or, did Jeremy instead hit Miley? Oliver's eyes snapped open.

Jeremy was standing in front of him, the gun smoking which meant that it had been fired. He looked confused at first, but it quickly turned to pleasure as he started to laugh. Oliver still didn't realize why they were laughing. He looked down at his chest, but saw no bullet holes. However, as he looked down, he did see something else, something that nearly made his heart stop as though he had been shot with the gun.

Lilly was lying on the ground at his feet, blood pouring from the bullet wound in her chest.

"NOOOO!" Oliver screamed, dropping to his knees and cradling Lilly's head in his hands. Her eyes were closed and her skin was growing paler by the minute as she rapidly lost blood. Tears sprang into Oliver's eyes and fell down his cheeks as he hugged the girl he loved in his eyes.

Jeremy continued to laugh and pointed his gun once again at Oliver. "And now it's your turn," he said. But before he could pull the trigger a second time, his brother Carl ran up.

"Cops, Jer!" he shouted. "They're coming in!"

"Shit!" Jeremy swore, running out of the room as fast as he could. But Oliver didn't even notice. He was too busy staring at Lilly.

"Lilly, wake up!" he shouted. "Don't die on me, Lilly! LILLY!" But she remained still as death. Pure anger and hatred pumped through Oliver's veins like a poison. He laid Lilly in Miley's arms, stood up, and shouted at the empty doorway. "IF SHE'S DEAD, I'LL KILL YOU! YOU HEAR THAT, YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Miley was sobbing as well, but part of it was fear. She had never seen Oliver this mad before. He was scaring her. But not as much as Lilly was. Miley cradled her head and grasped her hand desperately wanting nothing more than for Lilly to grasp it back so as to reassure her that she was still alive.

"I'LL KILL—" Oliver shouted again, but stopped and sunk to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oliver," Miley choked out through her tears. "We have to get her out of here!"

This statement seemed to snap Oliver back to reality. He went over to Miley and took Lilly out of her arms, carrying her as if she was a small child.

"Come on!" he shouted. "They said the cops were coming! That's got to be my mom!"

He started running out of the warehouse as fast as he could, Miley right behind him. His injured leg began to shake violently, and he was afraid that he was going to end up losing his balance. But he pushed through the pain and continued to run through the warehouse.

Both he and Miley could hear the sounds of numerous other people running through the warehouse as well. Oliver suddenly heard his mother's voice ring out through the halls.

"Oliver! Where are you?"

"Over here, Mom!" Oliver shouted. "We need a medic! Lilly's hurt!"

Seconds later, Oliver and Miley saw Mrs. Oken and about six other officers round the corner. Her eyes widened at the sight of Lilly in Oliver's arms.

"Oliver, what happened?" she asked as two officers rushed forward and took Lilly from him.

"Jeremy shot her," Oliver replied, putting his arms around Miley, who was still sobbing.

"Okay. We'll get all three of you out of here." She turned to the other officers. "Let's move!"

Oliver grabbed Miley's hand and the two of them followed his mom and the officers out of the warehouse. Once outside, they saw that two ambulances had driven up, accompanied by about four other cop cars. They also caught sight of four officers escorting Carl and Jeremy out of the warehouse in handcuffs. The two men were forced into a cop car which proceeded to drive away. However, the sight still didn't calm Oliver's nerves.

Lilly was quickly loaded onto a stretcher where an oxygen mask was placed over her face. The doctors loaded her into the ambulance. But before they could close the doors, Oliver and Miley hopped up into the car.

"Sorry, kids, you can't come with," a doctor said.

"Oh, we're coming with!" Oliver shouted angrily, slightly startling the doctor. Miley put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oliver, they need to get her out of here," she said. "Your mom can drive us."

"No need to, Ms. Stewart," Mrs. Oken said. "This is my son and his friend. They have my permission to ride to the hospital with you."

"Yes, Officer Oken," the doctor said. Oliver mouthed "Thank you" to his mom before the ambulance doors were closed. "Let's move!" the doctor called to the driver, and, seconds later, the ambulance drove away.

The medics began immediately tending to Lilly. An IV was stuck in her arm, but she wasn't responding to the treatment. Her heart rate was rapidly dropping as was her breathing. One doctor called for a defibrillator as the others were trying to revive Lilly.

"Clear," a medic said as they shocked Lilly, trying to jumpstart her heart. "No response," he added.

They kicked it up another notch and tried again. Oliver and Miley could only sit in the corner and watch. Miley had buried her face into Oliver's shoulder, unable to bear the sight of seeing her best friend like this. Oliver had his arms around her as he tried his best to look brave, tears spilling from his own eyes.

After the third try, Lilly's heart rate finally got back to a safe level. It was still very low, but it was enough to get her to the hospital. As the ambulance pulled into the hospital parking lot, only one thought was going through both Oliver and Miley's minds: _Please let us not be too late!_

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**Okay, I know it's not as long, but I got it up quickly. I know that you hate suspense, but that's what I provide. So, just post those reviews like you've been doing and I will proceed to write the next chapter as quickly as possible. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	10. A Matter of Life and Death

Chapter Ten: A Matter of Life and Death

The ambulance pulled into the parking lot, and Lilly was immediately rushed into intensive care. Oliver and Miley got out of the ambulance, but were forced to wait in the waiting room. The only good that came out of that was the appearance of Mr. Stewart and Jackson, who had both been called the instant Miley had been found.

"Dad!" Miley shouted, rushing into her father's arms and hugging him tightly. Mr. Stewart put his arms around her as if not wanting to lose her again.

"I've got you, Bud," he said to her, apparently trying not to cry. "It's okay now."

"Daddy, I was so scared," Miley whispered into her father's shoulder. "I was so scared."

"I know," Mr. Stewart replied. "But it's over now."

Miley released her dad and turned to give Jackson a hug. "I'm glad you're safe, Miles," he said to her. "How's Lilly doing?"

"We don't know," Miley replied, wiping her eyes. "They just rushed her into surgery. It's gonna be another hour before we know anything."

"How's Oliver?" Mr. Stewart asked. Miley pointed to the corner, and Mr. Stewart and Jackson looked in that direction. Oliver was standing with his forehead pressed against the door of the intensive care unit. He hadn't said a word the entire way to the hospital and had expressed no emotion upon arriving. Mr. Stewart walked over to Oliver and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Oliver," he said in a gentle voice. "Are you okay?"

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know," he replied, almost expressionless. "I won't fully know until Lilly's out of surgery."

"Hey," Mr. Stewart said, turning Oliver so he could look him in the eyes. "She's gonna be fine. I promise you."

Oliver nodded. "I wish I had your optimism," he replied, wiping a stray tear from his eye. Miley walked over and put her arms around him in a tight hug. He hugged her back and for several moments, they said nothing and just stood there, hugging each other. Miley remembered the similar situation she'd had to face last year when it was Oliver lying in the hospital bed in critical condition. It just seemed endless to her.

The appearance of Mrs. Truscott about two minutes later instantly caused Miley to lose it again. She hugged the sobbing woman, trying her best to comfort her. But her own grief and fear about Lilly's fate wasn't helping the situation.

Eventually, Mr. Stewart had led Mrs. Truscott over to the waiting room couch where a nurse arrived with coffee for all of them. Mr. Stewart and Mrs. Oken were comforting Mrs. Truscott, who refused any coffee until Lilly was out of surgery. Jackson was hugging a sobbing Miley, stroking her hair and trying to calm her down and reassure that everything was going to be okay. Oliver had refused to sit down and remained standing in the corner, not really looking at anyone, but staring instead at his shoes.

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The next hour was the longest hour that any of them could've remembered sitting through in a long time. Barely anybody spoke, most of them unsure of what they should say to each other. Finally, after an agonizing wait, a nurse stepped into the waiting room.

"Mrs...Truscott?" she asked, consulting her clipboard. Mrs. Truscott got to her feet as quickly as if her seat had been lit on fire.

"How's my daughter?" she asked, walking briskly over to the nurse. "Is she all right? Did the surgery go well?"

"May I speak with you privately?" the nurse asked, pity on her face. Mrs. Truscott glanced back at the others fearfully before following the others. Miley knew exactly what she was thinking; private conversations normally meant bad news, right?

After about a minute, Mrs. Truscott walked back to the others. Her face looked very pale and she appeared to be in shock. Then, suddenly, she collapsed to her knees. Mr. Stewart rushed forward and helped her to her feet where she proceeded to bury her face in her hands, sobbing.

"Heather, what's wrong?" he asked her.

It took her a moment to finally calm down, but Mrs. Truscott was able to choke out an answer. "Lilly's...she's...she's...she's in a coma!" she said, tears erupting in her eyes again. "And...the doctors don't know if she'll come out of it!" she finished, collapsing again.

Miley fell onto Jackson's shoulder again, crying hard as well. Oliver was in a state of complete shock. This was quickly becoming the worst day of his life. If Lilly died, it would be because of him. He was the one who should've been shot, not Lilly.

"Did they allow you to go see her?" Mrs. Oken asked. Mrs. Truscott couldn't calm down enough to say something, so she just nodded. "I'll come with you."

"Mom, what about us?" Oliver asked, indicating himself and Miley.

"We'll let Mrs. Truscott see her first," Mrs. Oken replied. "Then I'll let the two of you in to see her." She led Mrs. Truscott into the intensive care unit.

After about fifteen minutes, Mrs. Truscott and Mrs. Oken came out of the room. Mrs. Oken nodded to show that it was all right for Oliver and Miley to go in now. Oliver put his arm around Miley's shoulders, and the two of them walked into the ICU. Just before the door was opened, Oliver braced himself for what he was about to see.

The door opened and Lilly was revealed, lying on the bed. She was hooked up to numerous monitors and breathing through an oxygen mask. Her skin was deathly pale and she was as immobile as if she were dead. Miley clung tighter to Oliver as started crying again. Oliver hugged her tighter as they approached the bed. Oliver reached out with his other hand and grabbed Lilly's, squeezing it tightly. But she would not squeeze it back.

"She's g-gonna be o-okay, Oliver," Miley choked out. "She's gonna be..." But she trailed off as her crying prevented her from speaking.

Oliver just stared at the figure of the girl he loved. What if she never woke up? What if he would never hear her voice again? What if he never got the chance to _really_ tell her how he felt? It was just too much. He dropped Lilly's hand and turned to Miley.

"Oliver?" she asked, confused at his sudden movements. "Are you--?"

"I'm sorry, Miley," he said. Then, before Miley could register what was happening, Oliver ran to the door, threw it open, and bolted out of the room. He raced past the adults, who all looked strangely at him, as he ran out of the hospital. Miley came into the room several seconds later.

"Miles, what's into him?" Mr. Stewart asked.

"It must've been too much for him," Mrs. Oken replied. "I'll go out and look for him."

"Don't bother," Miley said. "I know exactly where he went." She reassured her father and Oliver's mom that everything was fine and quickly exited the hospital to find her best friend.

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**Yes, again it's been a while, but I had a HUGE case of writer's block. I apologize immensely and I hope that you appreciate this chapter all the same. Please post those reviews and, since I have this week off, I'll try to get the rest of these chapters up. I'm thinking about two more chapters before the end. So, post all the reviews you can! Thanks guys!**


	11. Feeling Vulnerable

Chapter Eleven: Feeling Vulnerable

Oliver sat on the edge of the half-pipe at the deserted skate park. His legs were drawn up to his chest and his chin rested on his knees. Tears were still falling rapidly from his eyes. He had recently calmed down from his massive breakdown he had just experienced about five minutes ago. That was the main reason why he had left the hospital; he didn't want everyone to see him when he was like this.

As he had run from the hospital to here, horrible thoughts had popped into his mind: What if Lilly died? What if he couldn't save her after she saved him last year? What if he was blamed for her death? How would he be able to live with himself without his best friend, the girl he loved with all his heart?

He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand and gazed out across the skate park. He remembered the first time he and Lilly ever went to this skate park. They were eight years old and, after a year of practicing on the small ramps, Lilly had decided that they should tackle the half-pipe and become "real" skateboarders. He remembered it as if it were yesterday...

_"Come on, Oliver!" Lilly shouted, pulling him by the arm to the massive half-pipe in front of them. _

_"I don't know, Lilly," Oliver said, looking up at the top of the half-pipe. It seemed a whole lot bigger close up. "Maybe we should wait and try next year."_

_"Oh, don't be a chicken, Oliver," Lilly said, laughing, her long blond pigtails blowing in the slight breeze. "You know we can't be 'real' skateboarders unless we tackle the big ramp!"_

_"Well..." Oliver began, looking once again at the top of the enormous ramp. "I guess you're right."_

_"And besides, I'm bored of the little ramps and rails," Lilly said, picking up her skateboard. "I want some adventure! Let's go!"_

_And, before he could stop her, Lilly had taken off and started climbing the ramp. Oliver followed her to the top. Once at the top, he looked down and felt as though his insides had suddenly dropped out. He gulped loudly, trying not to look too afraid. After all, Lilly was so excited and she was a _girl_! If she could do it and he couldn't, he'd be the laughing stock of the entire second grade!_

_"I'll go first," he said, attempting to show his bravery off to Lilly. He set his skateboard on the edge of the ramp, prayed that he would make it to the bottom alive, and leaned forward._

_Immediately, he experienced the greatest rush of his life as he raced down the side of the ramp, gaining speed with each passing second. Oliver couldn't remember a time in his life where he had felt so alive! How could he have been afraid of this ramp? It was AMAZING!_

_Unfortunately, the fun only lasted for about seven seconds. After that time, Oliver was going too fast and couldn't regain control of his skateboard. As a result, he tumbled head over heels off of his skateboard and hit the bottom of the ramp, face-planting right in the middle._

_"OLIVER!" Lilly screamed, skating down the ramp and coming to a halt next to him. "Oliver?" she said in a shaky voice, slowly turning him over. "Are you okay?" She rolled him on his back and gasped. His entire face was covered in blood, which was rushing out of his nose._

_Oliver opened his eyes and looked up at Lilly. "Lilly...?" he said, sounding as though he had a bad head cold._

_"Oliver?" Lilly asked again, looking as though she was about to cry. "Are you--"_

_"Dat was...AMAZING!" Oliver shouted, wiping his nose on his sleeve, which was then covered in blood. "You were right, Lilly! Dat was such a rush! I don't doe what I was afraid of before!"_

_Lilly looked confused at first and then started to laugh along with him._

Oliver sighed as he recalled that day. Going down the ramp had been so much fun, even if he broke his nose because of it. It was the first time he remembered showing off for Lilly. Now that he thought about it, that was very possibly the day where he fell in love with Lilly. She could've laughed at him for face-planting when she had been able to do it perfectly, but she didn't; she was concerned about him and his well-being.

He heard the grass rustling behind him. He turned around and saw Miley running towards the skate park. He was grateful that she was alone; he didn't think he could deal with adults right now. She climbed up the side of the ramp and sat down next to him.

"I figured you'd come here," she said. "Are you okay?"

Oliver thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly. But then, he suddenly second-guessed himself. "No," he said. "No, I'm not."

Then before he could stop himself, he started crying again. Miley put her arm around him and let him cry on her shoulder. He cried for Lilly and what she was going through; he cried for Miley and what had happened to her because of them; and he cried for himself for leaving Lilly when she needed him the most.

"I'm s-sorry, Miley," he choked out through his sobs.

"It's okay, Oliver," Miley whispered in his ear. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Oliver replied, taking his head off of her shoulder and wiping his eyes on his hand. "I left Lilly. I left her, Miley, when she needs me. She's lying in that hospital bed fighting for her life and I can't even be there to support her. I'm her goddamn boyfriend for crying out loud!"

"Oliver, no one blames you for running away," Miley said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can understand that it was hard for you to see her like that. It was hard for me too."

"But, you don't understand, Miley," Oliver said firmly. "I'm her boyfriend! I'm supposed to be there for her when she needs me. Like, it isn't bad enough that I got her shot. Now, I'm abandoning her!" He stopped as more tears made their appearance.

"Oliver, listen to me," Miley said. "You didn't abandon Lilly. You got scared. That's perfectly understandable. It's scary to see someone you love like that. But, you don't have to worry, because I know that she's going to be okay. I have confidence."

"How?" Oliver asked. "How do you know?"

"Because, if you recall, Lilly and I went through the same thing last year when it was you lying in that hospital bed," Miley replied. "We were both so scared when the doctor told us that you...might not live through the night. But you should've seen the look on Lilly's face when you called her name. I knew right then and there that she hadn't lost hope in you. You two have a really strong bond, Oliver. And with a bond like that, I don't think anyone can question whether or not you are going to be there for her. I know you will and so does her mom."

Oliver thought about this for several minutes. Finally, he looked up at Miley and cracked a small smile. "Thanks a lot, Miley," he said, giving her a hug. "It's just...hard to see her like that. But, I need to be there for her. She was there for me and now it's my turn."

Miley smiled back. "That's the Oliver I know," she said. "Come on. Our parents are probably freaking out about where we went."

Oliver nodded. "You're right," he said. "Let's go back."

They climbed off the half pipe and headed across the lawns. Once they reached the hospital, Oliver walked right past his mom and Mr. Stewart, whose arms Miley walked right into, and headed into Lilly's room. Her mom was sitting on one side of the bed, holding Lilly's hand and crying. Oliver pulled a chair up on the other side and held Lilly's other side.

"Don't worry, Lilly," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Despite the fact that she was still in a coma, Oliver could almost sense the ghost of a smile creeping up her beautiful face.

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**I tried to end it on a semi-happy note. My next chapter will, sadly, be my last for this story. And, once again, it is going to be set to a song like the last one was. So, thank you for your continued support and I hope you continue to post reviews until the end. Thanks all so much guys! I will work on the last chapter and post it as soon as I can.**


	12. Your Guardian Angel

**This chapter is set to the song "Your Guardian Angel" by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.**

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Chapter Twelve: Your Guardian Angel

His mother's words were continuously echoing in his brain. He didn't believe it. He refused to believe it. There was no way that she was speaking the truth. There was no way, no _way_ that Lilly was—

_When I see your smile_

_Tears roll down my face _

_I can't replace_

_And now that I'm strong I have figured out_

_How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul_

_And I know I'll find deep inside me _

_I can be the one_

"Oliver," his mom had said early yesterday morning. "Can you come in here for a minute? I need to talk to you."

"What's up, Mom?" he asked, coming into the living room.

"Sit down," she said, indicating the spot on the couch next to her. Confused, he sat down next to her, trying to read her expression. She looked highly concerned which was never a good sign.

"What is it?" Oliver asked. "Mom, what's wrong?"

She took a deep breath before saying, "I went to the hospital this morning and talked to Lilly's doctor." She paused and then reached over and grabbed his hand. "Oliver...he told me that...if Lilly doesn't wake up in the next 24 hours, then...she's not going to live."

He felt like a lead brick had been dropped in the pit of his stomach. That was not what he was expecting to hear. He was expecting...actually, he didn't know what he was expecting. But it certainly wasn't this.

"W-what?" he asked when he finally found his voice again. "What did you—?"

"I'm so sorry, Oliver," she said.

"No, this...this isn't possible!" he shouted, standing up and pacing the living room furiously. "I just saw her yesterday! She seemed fine! The doctors said that she was doing well!"

"Well, unfortunately, her body stopped responding to the medication," Mrs. Oken replied. "Either she needs to wake up and start breathing on her own, or she's going to d—"

"I GOT IT, MOM!" he screamed. He paused after this outburst, realizing it had been the first time he had ever really shouted at his mom. He expected her to be angry at him, but she merely stared and nodded her head as if to say 'I understand.'

"I'll be in my room," he said, racing up the stairs without another word.

_I will never let you fall (let you fall)_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_It's okay. It's okay. It's okay._

That conversation had taken place yesterday morning. He realized that it was now almost 7:00 at night the next day. It had been over 24 hours since he had gotten that message. He hadn't heard anything from the hospital or his mother. That could only mean one thing: Lilly hadn't woken up. Lilly wasn't going to come out of her coma. Lilly was...dead.

He hadn't left his room all day. He couldn't eat, he refused to talk to anybody, and he barely slept the night before. The few hours he had been able to snag had been plagued with nightmares about Lilly dying and everyone blaming him for her death.

He didn't want to accept the fact. He already thought he lost Lilly once before, and it destroyed him on the inside. But now she was really gone, and it wasn't just destroying him on the inside; it was killing him.

_Seasons are changing_

_And waves are crashing_

_And stars are falling all for us_

_Days grow longer and nights grow shorter_

_I can show you I'll be the one_

He glanced down at his wrists where faint scars were still visible from where his skin had been torn off by handcuffs during his and Lilly's brief captivity last year. As he thought about the terrifying kidnapping he and Lilly had been through last year, he realized that he had been hurt a whole lot more. So why was it that Lilly was able to save him, but he was unable to save her? Why was he so special? Why did he deserve to live and Lilly deserved to die? What had she done wrong?

_Well_, said a sly voice in the back of his head, _she was the one to tell those reporters everything about the robbery and, in turn, lead the Wilsons right to you._

"Shut up!" he shouted, although he knew that the voice was inside of his head and probably couldn't hear him. "None of this was Lilly's fault! Lilly doesn't deserve _any_ of this! She doesn't deserve to—" He broke off as tears formed in his eyes again. Unable to continue, he buried his face in his hands and cried as the reality of the situation finally hit him: he was never going to see Lilly Truscott again.

_I will never let you fall (let you fall)_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

A knock suddenly sounded at the door, but he was in no mood to talk to anybody. He figured it was probably his mom or possibly even Miley wanting to talk to him and reassure him that "everything was gonna be all right." Well, obviously it wasn't going to be all right. He had just lost the love of his life. How did that classify as "all right?"

The knock sounded again, a little louder this time. "Go away!" he screamed through his tears. "Don't you understand that I want to be ALONE?"

He collapsed into sobs again. He was never this angry and he was quickly turning into the type of person that he hated. The loss of Lilly was turning him into an angry, troubled teen. First he would start off by shutting out everyone who cared about him. Then he would spend nearly all of his times in his room, refusing to see anyone. And finally, he would start thinking up ways to kill himself in order to get rid of the endless pain.

He heard a creak as his bedroom door was pushed open. Frustrated, he turned around and shouted, "I said I want—" But he stopped immediately as he saw who was standing in his doorway.

_Cuz you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart_

_Please don't throw that away_

_Cuz I'm here for you_

_Please don't walk away and _

_Please tell me you'll stay woah, stay woah_

He stared in awe. There was no way she could be standing there. He wasn't one to believe in ghosts, but right now that was the only explanation for her to be standing in his doorway. She smiled that gorgeous smile, wincing only slightly as she rubbed her left shoulder where a small hole was still visible. But it didn't appear to bother her.

"Hey, Oliver," Lilly said, walking forward into his room.

Oliver was too shocked to say anything. So, he did the first thing that came to mind: he rushed forward, grabbed her in his arms, and kissed her with the most passion he could ever remember kissing any girl with.

_Use me as you will_

_Pull my strings just for a thrill_

_And I know I'll be okay_

_Though my skies are turning gray_

When they broke apart, Oliver felt tears in his eyes again. Because if that kiss had proved anything it was this: Lilly was very much alive.

"Lilly," he gasped, wiping the tears off of his face. "How...how is this possible?"

"I don't know," Lilly replied, smiling. "The doctors say that they were just about to give up hope that I would ever wake up, but then I just...woke up!"

"But, what are you doing here?" Oliver asked, sounding concerned. "Shouldn't you be resting in the hospital?"

Lilly waved the comment aside. "I feel fine. My shoulder's a little sore, but they gave me painkillers for that and they even said that all the pain should be gone within a week. But, when I woke up, I felt just fine and had my mom sign me out."

"Why didn't anyone tell me that you had woken up?" Oliver asked.

Lilly shrugged. "Well, my mom just finished telling everyone. I just got back from Miley's house. But when she called here, your mom said that you had shut yourself up in your room and wouldn't talk to anybody. So, I figured I'd come over here and surprise you."

Oliver knew that he should be angry at her for scaring him like that, but right now he was just so happy that she was alive, he didn't think anything could anger him right now. He reached forward and held her in his arms, feeling her arms wrap around him, smelling her beautiful, golden hair, and hearing the marvelous sound of her steady breathing in his ear.

"My mom told me that the judge is considering giving the Wilsons the death penalty," Lilly told him.

"Really?" Oliver replied, unsure about whether he should be happy or not. "If it's all right with you, Lilly, can we not mention them?"

"Of course," Lilly replied, laying her head on his shoulder as he continued to hold her. "We never have to mention them again."

"Good," Oliver replied. "Hey, Lilly?"

"Hmm...?"

"Promise me that you'll never leave me, ever."

Lilly took her head off of his shoulder and looked deep in his eyes. "I promise," she replied. "I'll never even dream about it. And you know why?"

"Why?" Oliver asked.

Lilly smiled. "Because I love you too much."

Oliver smiled back as they kissed again. And as they kissed, Oliver knew that she would always be by his side, no matter what obstacles they faced later on in life.

_I will never let you fall_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

**THE END**

(Please check out my author's note)


	13. The End: An Author's Note

**And there you have it. My sequel is complete. I hope you enjoyed it as much as you enjoyed "S.O.S." I enjoyed writing these stories and am a little sad to see them end. I hope you continue to post those reviews and I will get started on my next story ideas. Thanks to all my avid readers! First of all, I want you all to know how truly thankful I am to all of my readers. Not only did you make my first story a success, but you made its sequel just as successful. I can't even express into words how grateful I am to all of you. I hope to be back soon with a whole new story, a whole new plot, possibly some new characters, and all of my old fans and readers. Thank you for your continuous support of my stories and I hope to hear from you all shortly when my next story comes out!**

**Love Your Ever Grateful Author,**

**Stephanie a.k.a. iluvmusso4ever11390**


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